It is a visual wonderland, where imposing mountains rise almost two vertical miles above sprawling salt flats, and canyons are painted in strokes of blue, pink, violet and green from sunrise to sunset. This is Death Valley - one of the most inhospitable places on the planet. Nowhere else is a landscape so exquisite yet brutal, stunning yet harsh. Here, temperatures spike into the 130s, the earth cracks like broken clay and when the hot wind blows, all anyone can taste is dust and salt. Ironically, it is water that has shaped this super-arid home of true survivors.

Would you rent out a room in your home to a complete stranger? One of the latest trends in online communities focuses on travel. Airbnb.com connects people who want to rent out their extra space to cost-conscience travelers. Couchsurfing.org does the same thing for free. We'll find out how many San Diegans are part of the trend.

Through the eyes of survivors and family members, "Bad Blood" chronicles how a "miracle" treatment for hemophilia became an agent of death for 10,000 Americans. Faced with evidence that pharmaceutical companies and government regulators knew the product was contaminated with HIV and hepatitis from the 1960s through the early 1990s, they launched a powerful and inspiring fight to right the system that failed them and to make it safer for all.

A renown classical music festival begins and celebrates 25 years in business, Hershey Felder returns to the Old Globe as Leonard Bernstein, and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego opens a pop-up shop.

California is establishing a legislative committee to create high-tech jobs and a San Diego Republican will lead the effort. The state's unemployment is about 12 percent, one of the highest in the nation.

The indie film "Another Earth" (opening August 5 at Landmark's Hillcrest Cinemas) reminds us that the best science fiction doesn't emphasize the science but rather the humanity in a story. Listen to my radio feature.